The Baby
by Seth Bramwell
Summary: Hi! This is a fic that I wrote as my take on the Miyamoto story and the story of Jessie's birth. Personally, the idea that Jessie grew up so poor with a high-ranking TR agent for a mother never made sense to me. This fic is my POV on the story. Pleas


Disclaimer: All Pokemon characters are copyrighted by Nintendo. No permissions have   
been given to use their names. Exceptions: The characters of Dr. Eli Jameson and   
Team Rocket agents Silas, Bridget Sutton, Virgil, Sean Mogren, Lisa Hansen, Steven   
Carroway, Tom Carter, and Base Commander Henry Evans are my creations.  
  
The Baby  
  
By Allan North  
  
Chapter One: The Arrival  
  
The woman in the bed panted, her face twisted with pain and effort. Nine months   
had been leading up to this moment…. "One more push should do it." The doctor said,   
nervously glancing around the room at the people in black surrounding him. He had been   
nervous from when they had first walked in… after all, who wouldn't be? They were   
soldiers of the greatest criminal army the world of Pokemon had ever known… Team   
Rocket. But the greatest surprise had come when he had realized that they were not here   
to terrorize the staff or swipe Pokemon from injured trainers, but to get help for one of   
their number… a pregnant woman who was in the early stages of labor. That had been   
eight hours ago. Since then, under the watchful eye of the Team Rocket soldiers, he had   
been personally caring for this woman, this… Miyamoto.   
  
He had learned her name during the early examination, as she had been first   
brought in and lifted onto the bed. Dr. Eli Jameson had delivered many babies before,   
but he had known from the start that this delivery would be forever embedded in his   
mind… After all, how often does one deliver a baby at gunpoint? The soldiers who had   
been with the young woman, while very militant and forceful, obviously cared a great   
deal about her, and demanded only the best care from him. That was exactly what he   
had been giving her, and now the final moments were at hand. Eli's mind snapped back   
to the present as the baby's head, with the slightest trace of red hair, started to emerge   
from Miyamoto. "That's it, you're doing it!" he said, to Miyamoto, trying to sound   
happy and joyful despite the fact that his frayed nerves were about to snap. He shuddered   
to think what would happen to him if anything were to go wrong…. Miyamoto gripped   
the side rails on the hospital bed and squeezed and pushed with all her might, her face   
flushing to a bright red color in the process.   
  
The baby slid out fairly quickly, into Eli's waiting hands. He cleared the mucus   
from her mouth, and realized that she was breathing on her own. Well, at least he   
wouldn't have to slap her to get her breathing…. Heaven knows what these soldiers   
would have thought of that! Eli snipped the umbilical cord, and quickly wrapped the   
baby up in a blanket. The little girl was crying and shivering, but otherwise looked   
perfectly healthy. He looked up at the soldiers, and then to Miyamoto, who lay in the   
bed out of breath and looking at Eli with an intense curiosity.   
  
"Congratulations, miss… It's a healthy baby girl." He said to her. Miyamoto   
smiled, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, and reached for the baby as the soldiers   
who had accompanied her cheered and patted Miyamoto on the shoulder and Eli on the   
back. He passed the baby to its mother, and Miyamoto held the baby as tears streamed   
down her face.   
  
Eli stretched and wiped his hands on a towel as the new mother held her baby for   
the first time. One of the soldiers looked at Miyamoto and said, "So do you have name   
for her yet?"  
  
Miyamoto looked up at the young man who had spoken. "Yes, Silas…." She   
replied. "I want her to have an old, rooted name like mine, but also an easier one for   
everyday use… So her real name will be Musashi…. But her nick name will be   
Jessica… or Jessie…."  
  
Miyamoto held Jessie for a long time that day, watching as the newborn settled   
into a deep rest. She had never been so happy… she knew immediately that the nine   
months leading to this moment had been so well spent.  
  
The next day, Miyamoto had recovered, as was consistent with her determined   
nature, and returned to Rocket HQ accompanied at all times by the black uniformed   
soldiers. The hospital staff was unbelievably glad when they left… Normal procedure   
had been abandoned with this particular patient. No records had been kept, and nobody   
had been informed that they had ever been there, as the Rockets were all too eager to   
keep from drawing attention to themselves.  
  
Miyamoto's return to Rocket headquarters in the large gym of Viridian City was   
met with a huge celebration, breaking the usual mood of strict order and militaristic   
efficiency that usually marked the place. Madam Boss herself led the celebrations, as   
her own son Giovanni took part in the welcoming party. Miyamoto sat back in a chair,   
smiling at her friends and thanking them repeatedly as the other soldiers helped her to   
celebrate the new arrival.   
  
The center of attention, of course, was little baby Musashi as she lay in her   
bassinet, a white wicker thing that Madam Boss had found in a store in Celadon City and   
had purchased for the occasion. Normally, Madam Boss wouldn't have considered this,   
but Miyamoto was such an excellent agent, and such a good leader, that her baby was   
like the whole organization's baby. The group celebrated well into the night, until it was   
finally time to let the party die down and let the newborn sleep in the quiet of   
Miyamoto's quarters.  
  
Chapter Two: Decisions  
  
Two months later, life had pretty much returned to normal in the ranks of Team   
Rocket. The sense of efficiency and order had returned, with the only break in the mood   
being the baby in room 326. She was the only child in the headquarters, save the Boss'   
own child, and was certainly the only one who had a child's mindset and mentality.   
Giovanni, despite being only 10 years old, was always following his mother around,   
studying how she ran the organization in the hopes of taking it over himself someday.   
  
The only other young people in the headquarters were a couple of fourteen-year   
old assistants to agents, and this made Miyamoto worry occasionally…what kind of life   
was this for a baby? There were no other children for her to grow up around, no children   
to play with, no place to play save Miyamoto's own living quarters…   
  
It was too much for her to think about at times… this life was all she had known   
for so long. Had she been subconsciously intending to disrupt that life 11 months ago   
when she had had that one night fling with that agent from the Orange Islands? Maybe   
she had… She had been with Team Rocket for so long, and she loved it.. at least, she   
thought she did…. But now this new baby was making her rethink things drastically.   
  
Over the next month, Miyamoto returned to her former duties and missions,   
leaving her baby with her friends at headquarters when she would be gone. Miyamoto   
hated this, not because of doubts about Musashi's safety, but because of the separation   
from her beloved child. She was turning out to be far more suited to motherhood than   
she could have ever imagined, and as much as she loved this feeling, it was tearing her   
apart. On one hand, she loved her baby and couldn't bear to be apart from her, on the   
other hand, she loved her life with Team Rocket and felt that she couldn't leave.  
  
All these feelings and emotions made her weigh her options… She considered   
sending Musashi to live with her sister… Miyamoto knew her sister was unable to have   
children and had always wanted one of her own, despite the fact that she was so poor.   
Miyamoto reasoned that her Team Rocket paychecks would be able to help her sister   
cover the expense of raising Musashi, but she still couldn't bear the thought of giving up   
her only child. Of course, if she were to remain in Team Rocket, eventually she would   
have no choice but to send the child away. This was no environment for a sweet little girl   
like her daughter. However, if she quit Team Rocket, how could she support her baby?   
Nobody on the outside would hire her with her criminal record… It was a matter that   
tortured Miyamoto and gave her countless sleepless nights until she finally came to a   
decision.   
  
After returning from yet another mission and spending some time with her little   
angel (God, she was getting so big in just four months!), Miyamoto carried her daughter   
in her arms and walked through the corridors to her boss' office. She knocked on the   
door with only a bit more apprehension than she had ever had before. The curt voice of   
Madam Boss told her to come in, and Miyamoto walked in holding Musashi in her arms.  
  
"Ah, Miyamoto. What can I do for you?" Madam Boss asked, eyeing her and   
smiling at the baby, who returned the smile with a little raspberry.  
  
Miyamoto swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She had been wondering in   
her mind how this meeting would go, if she'd be able to pull it off. "Well, Ma'am,   
since I had my baby, I've been giving my future a lot of thought, and I've come to a   
conclusion."  
  
"Really. Go on." Madam Boss urged, not sure if she'd like what she was about   
to hear. From the corner of the office, Giovanni walked over to stand by his mother,   
abandoning the book he had been quietly reading.  
  
"Well, I mean no offense to you or your son, ma'am, but I'm just not sure if I   
feel comfortable raising a child here… It just doesn't seem like the right kind of   
environment, especially when I'm gone on missions and such…. "  
  
Madam Boss nodded, placing her fingertips together in front of her. "Well, I   
suppose I can understand that… even if I am raising my own son here…." She glanced   
at Giovanni, who simply stood there like the leader he would become, staring at   
Miyamoto with a face devoid of expression.  
  
Miyamoto had anticipated this reaction. "Well, Ma'am, with all due respect,   
you don't really go out in the field… you can always be around Giovanni." She replied   
nervously, hardly liking the gaze from her boss.  
  
"Hmm. Very true, my friend, very true." Madam boss replied. "Tell on."  
  
"So, what I would like to do- God, I can't believe I'm saying this- is leave   
Team Rocket." Miyamoto finished nervously, looking at her boss with an ever-  
increasing worry. She had seen agents try to quit before, and it had never ended   
pleasantly.   
  
Madam Boss eyed Miyamoto and weighed the matter in her mind. She could see   
Miyamoto's point… The life of a Team Rocket field agent wasn't really the life for a   
mother. On the other hand, she couldn't just let an agent with such knowledge of Team   
Rocket walk out just like that. She hesitated a moment as she considered this, and then   
returned her gaze to Miyamoto. "And where will you go after you leave?" she inquired,   
glancing occasionally at the squirming baby in her arms.   
  
"Well, I was thinking I would go live with my sister…. You know, she can't   
have children, and she's always wanted one…." Miyamoto began.  
  
"But your sister is also rather poor, if I'm not mistaken?" Madam Boss asked,   
already knowing the answer. She knew much about her agent's families on the outside…   
such knowledge came in handy at the oddest times.   
  
Miyamoto was unsettled by this question. "Well, yes, but…"   
  
"So how do you propose to support little Musashi in such a situation?" Madam   
Boss asked airily. "Honest employment is not easy to find with a record as well known   
as yours, my dear."  
  
"I realize this." Miyamoto replied humbly. I was hoping that perhaps you could-   
well- help me in that area? Maybe with a connection on the outside." She looked at her   
boss with hope, praying that one mother would understand the plea of another. Finding   
that her boss' face was clouded with thought, Miyamoto glanced down to Giovanni, but   
he too seemed lost in thought as he looked up at her with narrowed eyes. Finally,   
Miyamoto glanced down to the baby in her arms, her precious child. She was a comfort,   
a loving face in a sea of coldness.  
  
Meanwhile, Madam Boss examined the situation in her mind. Such an   
arrangement would be possible, and it would allow Miyamoto a way out and honest   
work, while still allowing her to keep a tab on Miyamoto. She smiled coldly as she   
realized this. "I could do it." She said finally, making Miyamoto return her gaze back to   
Madam Boss. "Yes, I can… I think it would work out very well…. Provided you do   
something for me in return."  
  
Miyamoto looked at her boss. Surely whatever it was, it would be worth it to   
have her life with Musashi. She wanted to jump up and down, cheer and yell, and fall   
down to her knees thanking Madam Boss. At this moment, she had given Miyamoto   
what she had been lacking for a few months now: hope for a safe and well-off future for   
her baby. With great effort she composed herself and said with a smile, "And what   
might that be, ma'am?"  
  
"Giovanni, get me file 9543 from the cabinet." Madam Boss said to her son,   
who hurried to the cabinet, removed a manila folder, and returned to his mother's side,   
a slight look of disapproval on his face. Madam Boss noticed this, and looked at her son   
as she took the file. "You have something to say, Giovanni?" she asked curtly.  
  
Giovanni gave Miyamoto with a look of disgust, hiding it when he turned back to   
his mother. "No, mother." He said darkly.  
  
"Then return to your book. You still have much to learn and this matter does not   
concern you." Madam Boss said firmly. Giovanni still held the look of disgust on his   
face as he sulked over to the corner and picked up the book he had set down earlier,   
resuming his reading.  
  
Miyamoto looked over at him nervously, as if sensing the devil himself in the   
boy. She turned back to Madam Boss again as her voice brought her attention back to the   
matter at hand. "Miyamoto, I'm sure you know the legend of the Lost City of Mew."  
  
Miyamoto nodded. After all, who didn't know the story? It had been a popular   
myth for a good 400 years or so, passed own from generation to generation… a romantic   
tale of a city of the legendary extinct Pokemon Mew, hidden in mountains somewhere in   
the world. However, the legend had always been just that to Miyamoto… a legend.   
Surely if such a city had existed, it would have been found by now, wouldn't it?  
  
"Well, we have reason to believe that it's not a legend." Madam Boss said, her   
tone very serious. "Agents in the Andes have found more and more evidence of the   
city… fossilized remains, stone carvings, artifacts with carvings of Mew… all this kind   
of evidence." She said as she opened the file folder for Miyamoto. Miyamoto looked   
into the folder at the pictures of the artifacts and the typewritten reports. Musashi looked   
at the sheets with interest, despite her lack of comprehension.  
  
"But couldn't this just be from a tribe of Mew? We know that they banded   
together and produced things like this at times." Miyamoto asked.   
  
"Possibly. But I don't think so." Madam Boss replied. "Look at the pictures.   
The artifacts match those in the legends, as does the appearance of the mountains. It all   
matches!"  
  
Miyamoto looked at the pictures and recalled the legends in her mind. Madam   
Boss was indeed right. They did match. "But then why has the city not been found?"   
Miyamoto asked.  
  
"Well, legend, of course, has it that the city was buried by an avalanche, but I   
believe that the city was mostly underground to begin with. The agents there have found   
a shaft that leads down into the mountains, but no records exist giving a reason for it to   
be there. I have forbidden the agents from entering it, because I know that most of the   
agents in that sector would not have the level headedness to properly explore it."  
  
Madam Boss paused here, and looked up at Miyamoto. "You are one of my top   
agents, Miyamoto. I want you to go to the Andes, and lead the expedition to find the   
lost city."  
  
Miyamoto's mouth hung open. "But that could take months!" she protested.   
"What about Musashi?"   
  
"Oh, I'm sure your friends here would be more than happy to look after her…   
rest assured nothing bad will happen to her." Madam Boss replied.  
  
"But- but- how can I be away from her for so long?" Miyamoto asked, her face   
a mask of sad disbelief.  
  
Madam Boss' face suddenly softened uncharacteristically. "All right, Miyamoto.   
I can respect that." She said, truly understanding Miyamoto's feelings. As cold and   
uncaring as she could appear to be at times, Madam Boss wouldn't be able to be apart   
from her child for months, either. "You will lead the expedition for one month, keeping   
careful records and reporting daily. At the end of that month, another agent will take   
your place, though I fear yours will be a hard act for them to follow."  
  
Miyamoto smiled, and looked at her boss with admiration. "Thank you,   
Madam." She said humbly. "I guess I'd better start preparing for the trip." She turned to   
leave, cradling the now-dozing Musashi in her arms.  
  
"Oh, and Miyamoto? One more thing." Miyamoto stopped in the doorway and   
turned back to face her boss.   
  
"Yes, Madam?" she asked.  
  
"Take care of that little girl." Madam Boss said, her voice and expression as   
serious as it had ever been in a direct order to an agent.  
  
"Yes, Madam." Miyamoto replied, and turned to leave, feeling more relieved   
than she had felt in months. She hurried out of the room to head back to her quarters to   
prepare herself for the mission.   
  
After she was gone, Giovanni set his book down again, and approached his   
mother, who was still looking the pictures of the artifacts and the mountain ranges.   
"Very clever, Mother." He said with an evil smile.  
  
Madam Boss turned her attention to her son. "What?"  
  
"Setting up Miyamoto like that. Very subtle."  
  
Madam Boss stared at her son. "What are you talking about?" she asked.   
  
"Oh, come on, Mother… That whole lost city of Mew thing… when are you   
going to order her killed?" Giovanni persisted.  
  
Madam Boss looked at her son now with anger in her eyes. "I have no intention   
of having her killed." She said firmly.  
  
"But- But she's trying to leave Team Rocket! That always means death…"   
Giovanni persisted.  
  
Madam Boss looked at Giovanni angrily, and slapped him across the face.   
"Miyamoto will not be harmed. I'll still have tabs on her in the outside world, and she   
will abide by the rules." She snarled.  
  
"But mother-" Giovanni started to say, stopping when he saw his mother's hand   
rise again.  
  
"Are you questioning me, boy?" Madam Boss growled at her son.  
Giovanni looked at the floor angrily. He knew his mother was making a mistake,   
but he was powerless to stop it. "No, Mother." He replied.   
  
"Good. Now take your book and go back to our quarters. I'll be along   
eventually." She said, still obviously angry.  
  
Giovanni scooped up his book, and walked out of the office, angrily marching to   
his and his mother's quarters. Suddenly, he stopped in the hallway and smiled to   
himself. His mother may be making a mistake, but perhaps he wasn't so powerless to   
correct it…. A conniving smile spread across his face as he scurried off in the direction   
of their quarters.  
  
Chapter Three: Fatal Interference  
  
That night, Musashi was sleeping comfortably in her bassinet, wrapped up in   
Miyamoto's oversized pink blanket as Miyamoto sat at her desk, writing a letter by the   
light of a small lamp. She had already phoned her sister about the situation, and her   
sister had been tremendously excited, saying that she would be getting the house ready   
for the new arrivals. Of course, Miyamoto couldn't see it, but she knew for a fact that   
her sister had tears of joy running down her cheeks as she spoke.   
  
Miyamoto had still been overjoyed at the turn of events when she had arrived   
back at her quarters, but upon laying Musashi down for the night, she had been   
overcome with a sense of uncertainty- and the pressing need to pen this letter to her best   
friend in Team Rocket, Bridget- even if she didn't understand why.  
  
Miyamoto finished the letter and signed it with her unique, elegant signature,   
and hastily sealed it in an envelope with Bridget's name on it. When that had been done,   
Miyamoto walked to her closet and began to pack a trunk for her trip, preparing herself   
for the mission  
  
Meanwhile, Miyamoto wasn't the only one stirring at Headquarters at the late   
hour. Five floors above her, Giovanni sat up quietly in his bed and looked over at his   
Mother in her bed. Madam Boss was sound asleep, just as Giovanni had hoped she   
would be. Silently, he slipped out of his bed and tip-toed to his mother's dresser where   
he immediately found what he was after- his mother's keys. Clutching them tightly to   
prevent them from jingling, Giovanni snuck out of the dormitory and to the elevator and   
that would take him down to his mother's office.  
  
Once there, the boy was able to open the door quickly, being already well-  
acquainted with his mother's keys from watching her use them many times before. He   
stepped inside quickly, and closed the door behind him.  
  
Giovanni already knew exactly where to look for what he wanted, and he went   
straight to it: a special form his mother used for priority orders. In the corner of the   
form, the silver-embossed seal of Madam Boss glittered in the light. Giovanni smiled   
coldly as he placed the form in the typewriter on the side table. He knew his mother was   
making a mistake, but he also knew it wasn't too late to prevent that mistake and the   
inevitable regret that would follow it. Giovanni smiled to himself as he carefully typed   
the order:  
  
ATTENTION ANDES BASE COMMAND:  
  
I will be sending a special agent named Miyamoto Randwhyte to you under the   
pretense that she is to help you investigate the evidence you have sent regarding the   
legendary lost city of Mew. This agent has expressed the desire to leave Team Rocket,   
which, as you know, is the unforgivable action of an agent. When Miyamoto begins her   
investigation of the mountain ranges and caves, you are to have agents fire their   
weapons into the snow banks around the mountain, causing an avalanche in order to   
bury Miyamoto alive. I want very much for this to look like an accident by all accounts,   
as your area has been very open to investigation by outside police forces of late.  
  
MADAM BOSS  
  
Giovanni smiled as he studied the order carefully. It was exactly as his mother   
would have written it, the way she had written other execution orders in the past.   
Giovanni then pulled it out of the typewriter and reached for the signature stamp on his   
mother's desk. He inked the stamp and then carefully pressed it onto the order sheet.   
When this had been done, he placed the stamp back exactly where it had been and sealed   
the order in an envelope marked, "ANDES BASE COMMANDER" and left the office to   
head to the communications room.   
  
Once he had arrived, he placed the envelope in the bin for the outgoing priority   
orders, knowing it would be picked up and routed to the Andes base the next morning,   
and that the base commander would have it by tomorrow afternoon.  
  
Giovanni was outrageously pleased with himself… he had helped to prevent his   
mother from making a bad mistake, and he had successfully pulled off getting the order   
through. Happily, he made his way back to his and his mother's suite, where he quietly   
tiptoed back in, replaced his mother's keys, and snuck back into bed just as his mother   
began to stir slightly.   
  
"Giovanni?" Madam Boss asked sleepily. "Are you awake?"  
  
"Just had to go to the bathroom, mother." Giovanni replied. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight." Madam Boss replied, adjusting her pillow and falling back to sleep   
as Giovanni smiled coldly in the darkness.  
  
Chapter Four: The Mission  
  
One week later, Miyamoto stood in Bridget's quarters, 30 minutes left until she   
was due to board the transport that would take her to the Andes Rocket Base to begin her   
mission.  
  
Miyamoto had packed clothing and supplies, researched the background   
information, and contacted the agents in the Andes, and in most respects, she was ready   
for this mission…. Except for the task of leaving Musashi behind and knowing that she'd   
be gone for a whole month. Apparently, Musashi wasn't ready for this either, as she   
was crying loudly as if she knew she wouldn't see her mother again for a month.  
  
Miyamoto held the baby in her arms as Musashi cried and clutched her mother   
tightly, finally calming down and sucking her thumb when she heard the familiar,   
soothing sounds of Miyamoto's lullaby, the one she had made up just for Musashi;   
"Sleep little angel, safe in Mommy's arms, Sleep little angel, safe from all harm. You   
are my hope and my light too, I'd never let anyone ever hurt you." When the lullaby   
was finished, Musashi was asleep, a serene smile on her little face. Miyamoto sighed   
with relief, and gently passed Musashi to Bridget, who took the baby in her arms.  
  
"She's been feeling all right, so there shouldn't be any problems." Miyamoto   
said to Bridget, who nodded and smiled.  
  
"She'll be all right, Miya. I'd never let anything happen to her. You just stay   
safe and get back so you two can start that new life together." Bridget said.  
Miyamoto fidgeted nervously. "Right. Um, Bridget, I've got something to give   
you…." She said as she reached into her pocket and produced the envelope containing   
the letter she had penned a week ago.  
  
Bridget took the letter with one hand, still holding Musashi with the other.   
"What is it, Miya?"   
  
"Hopefully nothing." Miyamoto said. "You'll know if you need to open it."   
Bridget looked at the envelope. "How will I know?' she asked, wondering what   
was in the envelope.  
  
"Trust me. You'll know." Miyamoto said. "Well I gotta run." She said. Her   
voice breaking slightly as she looked at her baby in Bridget's arms. Miyamoto leaned in   
and kissed Musashi on the forehead, who smiled happily in her sleep. She gave Bridget   
a quick hug. "Thanks, Bridget… Thanks for everything." She said quietly.  
  
"Hey, no problem, Miya. Take care, now." Bridget said. Miyamoto turned to   
leave, and walked away down the hall as Bridget walked back into the main part of her   
quarters, ready to lay Musashi down so she could keep napping.  
30 minutes later, Miyamoto boarded the transport that would take her to a Team   
Rocket airfield on the outskirts of Viridian City. From there, she would be meeting a   
plane that would take her the rest of the way to the Andes base.   
  
However, in spite of the time she had spent preparing and readying herself for   
this mission, Miyamoto couldn't help but be filled with a feeling of uneasiness- almost   
as if she never should have accepted the mission in the first place… but no, she told   
herself, the next month would be a piece of cake… check out a few caves, dig a few   
tunnels, find a few artifacts, and bam, it'd be over, and her new life with her beautiful   
daughter would begin.  
  
Thoughts of Musashi's endearing innocence filled Miyamoto's mind as she   
boarded the plane at the airfield and settled back into her seat, her eyes drooping from   
exhaustion, and slipped into a dream as the plane took off… a dream of a White Rocket   
with long red hair who seemed strangely familiar to her, almost as if she had known her   
forever…. The dream continued soundlessly, playing itself out before Miyamoto's tired   
mind and eyes, as the nameless Rocket ran through her mind, commanding an Ekans,   
then an Arbok, occasionally a Lickitung, and always remaining ever so beautiful, with a   
very intense emotional streak beneath the tough front of Team Rocket….  
  
Miyamoto couldn't say how many hours the dream played on in her mind before   
the plane jolted her awake as it touched down on the landing strip at the Andes base.   
Miyamoto looked out the window and saw, as she had expected, a mild snow storm.   
Outside, the wind whipped the snow around in the air, creating a mist that was at times   
so thick it was hard to see through.   
  
Miyamoto sighed to herself. She had known from her research that such weather   
conditions were common in the area, but she had idly hoped for less bleak and dreary   
conditions to greet her. Miyamoto reached for one of the trunks she had packed with   
supplies, and withdrew a thick, long black coat. The coat, she had found out, was part   
of the standard issue uniform for the Andes base, and Miyamoto soon found out why.   
She was warm as soon as she slipped it on, despite the fact that all she had on under it   
was her black Team Rocket dress and her white thigh-high boots. Miyamoto closed the   
trunk again, and walked to the door of the plane which was just then being opened by the   
pilot.   
  
Miyamoto stepped out the door and immediately felt the sting of the cold wind on   
her face. Surprisingly, she realized that the rest of her remained perfectly warm under   
the long coat. Tucking the hood of the coat as close to her face as possible, she hurried   
down the steps to the ground, where a truck with a lone agent was awaiting her. The   
agent wore a long coat like Miyamoto's except that his was white rather than black. He   
was only 13 or 14 years old, and Miyamoto could tell that he was still rather new to   
Team Rocket. Her mind wandered as she thought back to when she had been that young   
and carefree, a new and eager White Rocket just entering the all too exciting life of   
Team Rocket….  
  
"Agent Randwhyte?" the young Rocket asked again, bringing Miyamoto out of   
her trance.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, Yes?" Miyamoto replied.  
  
"Welcome to the Andes Base, Ma'am. My name is Virgil. Anything you need,   
just let me know." The young Rocket replied eagerly.  
  
Miyamoto looked him over. "Thank you, Virgil." She replied coolly. "I need to   
meet with your base commander as soon as possible."  
  
"Oh, yes, Ma'am." Virgil replied. We'll be sending some agents up for your   
equipment and supplies, and I've been told to bring you up to the commander's office.   
He's waiting for us now."  
  
Miyamoto climbed into the passenger side of the truck. "Then let's move, Virgil.   
We don't want to waste time." She said authoritatively. Miyamoto wanted this month to   
just be over with, to end, so she could get back to her beautiful Musashi and into their   
new life. However, she also knew that the more she wanted it to end, the longer it   
would take, so she had reasoned that she should just go along with it all as quickly as   
possible.  
  
Virgil climbed into the truck, and used a two-way radio mounted in the truck to   
call to the base and let them know that Agent Miyamoto Randwhyte was on her way in.  
  
15 minutes later, Miyamoto stood in the base commander's office, shaking his   
hand. He was a man roughly 26 or 27 years old, a black rocket like herself. He had   
introduced himself as Base Commander Henry Evans, and had greeted Miyamoto with   
interest, the priority orders he had received from Madam Boss almost a week ago   
burning in the back of his mind. He had to admit- this Miyamoto obviously wasn't   
suspicious of him in the least. What a fool, he thought. Imagine, believing you could   
just walk away from Team Rocket. His thoughts turned back to the present. This agent   
didn't suspect a thing, and Evans was all too glad to let her remain that way.   
  
"So I trust you've been briefed on our recent finds and how they relate to the   
legends." Evans said.  
  
"Yes." Miyamoto replied. "Madam Boss gave me a run down of what you have   
discovered out here, as well as the open shaft."  
  
"And what is your take on it?" Evans asked lightly.  
  
"Well, I have to admit that a lot of it is very similar to the legends of the lost city,   
but I really think it's more likely that this is just evidence of one of the many tribes of   
Mew that banded together." Miyamoto replied. Through her research, she had been   
willing to give the whole matter the benefit of the doubt, that it really could be the   
legendary lost city, but she never really believed it. The legend was just that…. A   
legend, a fairy tale, a myth. How could it possibly really be true? As for her boss'   
theory of the city being underground, Miyamoto had to say that she couldn't put a lot of   
faith in it, but Madam Boss was still the boss… and Miyamoto knew that this mission   
would be her way out of this life and into her new one, so she decided to just explore the   
caves and let her boss' curiosity be satisfied. However, truth be told, she would much   
rather have her final mission be something like chasing a Pokemon that she knew   
existed… not chasing dreams from a children's bedtime story.  
  
Miyamoto's attention was drawn back to Henry. Secretly, Henry felt the same   
way Miyamoto, and had actually been rather glad when he had received word that his   
agents were forbidden from exploring the tunnels and caves. It meant less risk to him   
and his agents if Madam Boss would send in an outsider. However, he supposed that   
Madam Boss didn't really believe the story either, if she was sending an agent into a   
death trap that would end up blocking the tunnel with an avalanche. Henry cleared his   
throat, and looked at Miyamoto again. "So you don't believe that there is a lost city   
down there?" he asked, staring at her with his icy blue eyes.  
  
"I can't say I do." Miyamoto replied. "Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?"   
she said with a smile.  
  
Henry didn't return the smile. "Indeed." He said in a dry tone. "We'll start   
assembling your team of agents tonight, and you can start your expedition tomorrow   
morning. Now, as I understand it, Madam Boss wishes you to lead a team of agents   
down into the tunnels, correct?"  
  
"Yes." Miyamoto replied. "I'm to lead them to explore and map out the tunnels   
and see if there really is anything down there."  
  
"Do you think there is?" Henry asked, his blue eyes again staring directly into   
Miyamoto's.   
  
"Oh, I believe there's something down there, I just don't know what." She   
replied, leaning back in her chair. "Probably just a few more artifacts, maybe some   
fossils, but I doubt very highly that there's a whole city down there."  
  
Henry smiled slightly and grunted. "Hm. Well, as you said, we'll find out   
sooner or later. Your team will be ready in the morning. Why don't you go ahead and   
get some sleep in the VIP suite? We'll get started at say, 0800?"  
  
"Sounds good." Miyamoto replied.  
  
"Very well, then." Henry said, tossing Miyamoto a small brass key from his   
desk. "Here's the key to the suite. Virgil should be right outside the office. He'll take   
you to the suite."  
  
Miyamoto stood up and once again shook hands with Henry. "Thank you,   
Commander. I think we're going to have a productive month here, even if we don't turn   
up much." She said.  
  
Henry didn't seem to share Miyamoto's optimistic attitude, but he shook her   
hand back and said simply, "I'm sure we will. Good night, Agent Randwhyte."  
  
"Good night." Miyamoto replied. With that, she turned and walked out of the   
office, meeting Virgil in the hall and following him to her suite.  
  
Inside Henry's office, the commander looked at Miyamoto's file that had been   
forwarded to him a few days after the priority order calling for her execution. Henry had   
to admit, Madam Boss was being very cautious of this execution… almost as if she   
wanted to be able to deny any knowledge of it. For a while, Henry had almost   
considered calling his boss to confirm the order, but he knew that Madam Boss had a   
short fuse when it came to questioning orders, particularly priority orders. Henry   
reached for the phone on his desk, and called down to the quarters of one of his   
lieutenants, a black Rocket named Sean Mogren. In 5 minutes, Mogren was in Henry's   
office.  
  
"So she's the one, then?" Mogren asked. He and Henry had discussed the agent   
that would be coming that had been ordered killed, and had been considering the best   
opportunities to carry out the deed.  
  
"Yep." Henry said, leaning back in his chair. "And she doesn't suspect a thing."  
  
"Perfect!" Mogren replied. He and Henry had handled these kind of executions   
before, and he knew from experience that it was worst when the target had any kind of   
idea that they were in danger. All it did was make the job ten times harder, because the   
target would invariably be on their guard. "So have you decided how you want to handle   
it?" Mogren asked.  
  
Henry scratched his chin for a second. "Yeah. Madam Boss obviously doesn't   
really believe there's anything important down in that shaft, if she's ordering us to cause   
an avalanche and bury Randwhyte in there. Therefore, we ought to be able to get this   
done pretty quickly. I say we get her expedition team together- you, Carroway, and   
Hansen. I'll have tracers on your packs and I'll trace your movements in the shaft.   
When you're down far enough, I'll give you a signal over a silent pager and you and the   
other two can quickly and quietly back out, leaving Randwhyte. When you're out, I'll   
signal our agent on the outside to fire and start the avalanche, and then- well, bye-bye,   
Miyamoto." Henry finished with a satisfied grin. "What do you think?"   
  
"Sounds perfect, Henry. I'll let Carroway and Hansen know what's going on."  
  
"Good." Henry replied.  
  
"Who are you going to use to fire the weapon to start the avalanche?" Mogren   
asked.   
  
"Raven Kaldron." Henry replied. Raven was a weapons expert and a top-notch   
agent despite the fact that she had only been with Team Rocket for 8 months, and Henry   
knew that she would be perfect for the job. Mogren seemed to agree.   
  
"Good choice. Where is Randwhyte, anyway?" Mogren asked.  
  
"Asleep in the VIP Suite." Henry said. Mogren smiled darkly.   
  
"Well, I hope the little lady has sweet dreams, 'cause she's sure in for a rude   
awakening." He said. Henry laughed coldly as Mogren left to inform the others of what   
was going on.   
  
Chapter Five: The Execution  
  
Miyamoto awoke the next morning at 7:00, when the bright rays of the sun   
poured in through the window of her suite and spilled onto her face. She opened her   
eyes, squinted and closed them again. For a moment, she had the urge to get up and   
check on Musashi, change her diaper, get her a bottle… then she remembered where she   
was.   
A quiet groan escaped her as she sat up and let the thick quilt that had been   
covering her fall into her lap. Sleepily, she walked over to where Virgil had set her two   
trunks the night before, and popped one open. From inside, she pulled out a fresh   
uniform dress and slipped it on. Miyamoto walked to the bathroom, and felt the cool tile   
under her bare feet as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The reflection showed an   
agent who was in a place she didn't want to be, chasing shadows and smoke and nothing   
more. However, beneath that awareness burned the knowledge that in 1 month- a mere   
30 days- her whole life would be changed yet again… honestly employed, a loving   
mother, raising her beautiful daughter with her sister in Fuchsia City. It was that   
knowledge that gave Miyamoto the strength to smile and the courage to proceed with the   
day. She smiled to her reflection as the reached to her head and started to brush her hair.   
30 minutes later, Miyamoto stepped out of her suite, dressed in her white thigh-high   
boots, uniform dress, and white gloves. She locked the door behind her, and walked to   
the elevator to go to the first floor. When she got to the elevator, she found Virgil   
waiting for her, holding a cup of coffee and obviously awake on caffeine.   
  
"Virgil!" Miyamoto said with surprise. "Are you shadowing me or something?"  
  
Virgil smiled at Miyamoto, completely unaware of the orders that would soon   
end her life. To him, she was just another visiting agent to whom he had been assigned   
to look after. However, Virgil had to admit that this agent was unlike any other visitor   
he had been told to look after in the past… she was completely beautiful and sweet. Oh,   
she certainly had the air of Team Rocket's unique brand of militarism about her, but   
Virgil could tell that she didn't really see it as so many others saw it… as a license of   
total authority and power. "I was assigned to you as a helper during your stay, Ma'am."   
Virgil replied. Commander Evans told me to meet you here this morning and escort you   
to the lobby to meet your expedition team."  
  
"Oh. Well, thank you." Miyamoto replied with a smile. Virgil blushed ever so   
slightly as he pushed the button for the elevator. Miyamoto noticed this, and suppressed   
a chuckle. The young White Rocket had a little crush on her! "So do you know the   
agents who will be joining me?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, yes, Ma'am." Virgil replied quickly. "Your team is made up of Agent   
Mogren, Agent Carroway, and Agent Hansen."  
  
"Please, call me Miyamoto." Miyamoto said with a smile. Again, she noticed   
Virgil's cheeks blushing a bright red. Miyamoto couldn't get over how cute and sweet it   
was. "Can you tell me anything about those agents?"  
  
The elevator jolted to a stop and the doors opened. Virgil and Miyamoto stepped   
out, and began to walk down a hallway that led to the main lobby of the Andes base.   
"Certainly, Ma- um, Miyamoto." Virgil replied. "Agent Hansen is a White Rocket.   
She's been here for about a year. Agents Carroway and Mogren are both Black Rockets.   
I'm not sure how long they've been here exactly, but I know that Agent Mogren and   
Commander Evans are very good friends." Virgil paused as Miyamoto took this in and   
nodded. "Miyamoto? Can I ask you a question?" Virgil asked nervously.  
  
Miyamoto stopped walking and looked at Virgil. "Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I know you're here to check out that tunnel to look for remains of the Lost   
City of Mew." Miyamoto nodded. Virgil looked at the ground. "I feel so stupid asking   
this… but do you think you'll find anything?"  
  
"I don't know." Miyamoto replied. "I don't really think so, but, well, who can   
say?"   
  
Virgil nodded. "It's just that I remember my mother telling me stories about the   
Lost City years ago when I was a kid… It was my favorite story, but I never believed it   
could be true, and now… well, I just think it'd really be something to find, don't you?"  
  
Miyamoto smiled. She remembered when she still thought like Virgil, still   
believed in magic and fairy tales, still believed in things like buried treasures and lost   
cities, and the romantic tales of Mew. "If the legends are true, it certainly would be   
something. A whole city of just Mew…. Just imagine what it must have been like." She   
said.   
  
Virgil smiled broadly as they continued to walk down the hall. In less than a   
minute, the were in the main lobby of the base, and Miyamoto saw Evans and the other   
agents waiting for her. The other three agents were dressed in their long coats (Mogren   
and Carroway in black, Hansen in white) and wearing large backpacks , ready to begin   
the expedition. Miyamoto realized she had left her long Andes base coat back up in the   
suite, but saw that Evans had one waiting for her. Miyamoto and Virgil approached the   
agents, and Evans smiled at her. "Thank you, Virgil. Go back up to Agent   
Randwhyte's suite and make it up for her." Virgil nodded and turned around to head   
back up to the suite, smiling at Miyamoto as he did.   
  
"I trust Virgil is performing to satisfaction, Agent Randwhyte?" Evans asked.  
  
"Yes, he is, sir." Miyamoto replied. "He's doing an excellent job."  
  
"He has the makings of a good agent, even if he is rather easily excited." Evans   
said, dismissing the matter with that. "This is your expeditionary team, Agent   
Randwhyte." He said, gesturing at the three agents in coats. "This is White Rocket Lisa   
Hansen, Black Rocket Steven Carroway, and my closest lieutenant, Black Rocket Sean   
Mogren." Miyamoto smiled and shook hands with the three Rockets, sensing a warm   
welcoming feeling from Hansen, indifference from Carroway, and a strange coldness   
and disregard from Mogren. Miyamoto chose to ignore it, smiling at the three agents.  
  
"Nice to meet you all." She began. "I'm sure we'll have a productive time   
together." The three agents nodded with tight smiles.  
  
"Now then, you four will begin your expedition today and report back to me by   
1700 hours with your progress. I'll relay it back to Madam Boss, and we'll get her   
recommendations based on what we know at that point. Any questions?" Evans said,   
clapping his hands together.  
  
Miyamoto shook her head and looked at the others, who simply looked back,   
their faces showing that they had no questions whatsoever. Henry smiled and handed the   
long black coat to Miyamoto. "Then good luck, agents. Proceed."  
  
Miyamoto slipped the long black coat on and reached for the back pack that had   
been set at her feet by Evans when she had arrived. She looked inside it quickly as the   
other agents stood waiting without saying a word. Realizing it had ground markers,   
tracers, provisions, and some emergency medical supplies, Miyamoto closed it up and   
slung it over her shoulders. She then turned to the other agents and smiled. "Everyone   
ready?" The other agents nodded. "Anyone need to make a pit stop first?" Miyamoto   
asked with a grin.  
  
Lisa chuckled at this, but a sharp look from Mogren quickly silenced her. "I'm   
certain that we are all ready, Agent Randwhyte." He said curtly. "We are fortunate   
enough to have a break in the weather. I suggest we move now while it lasts." Mogren's   
tone told Miyamoto that his words were hardly as much a suggestion as they were an   
order. Sighing inwardly to herself, Miyamoto reminded herself that there were only 30   
days as she nodded in reply and led the way out the door, leading the way to the shaft   
she had marked on her map of the base.  
  
Twenty minutes later, they were on the very outskirts of the base, where a   
makeshift barricade, half buried in snow, had been set up to block agents from entering   
the shaft that led down into the mountain. Miyamoto led the group to the opening, and   
reached to her backpack. From inside, she drew a long black metal flashlight, and   
turned it on. The high powered beam cut through the darkness of the shaft and   
illuminated the next ten feet of the shaft, which Miyamoto noted was sheltered from the   
wind and free of snow. She turned back to face her companions. "No agents from this   
base have been down there?" she asked.   
  
Carroway shook his head. "No. Madam Boss forbid us from entering it." He   
replied.  
  
"Not that we didn't want to." Lisa chimed in. "I remember the day we found the   
shaft and the artifacts… It was so exciting." Lisa wasn't lying on this point… it had   
been very exciting, and she had been full of hopes and dreams that they really had found   
the Lost City. However, when Sean had come to her the previous night and explained   
the situation, she realized that there really couldn't be anything in the shaft, not if   
Madam Boss had ordered an execution down there. Oh well, she thought, It's time I   
stopped believing in such myths, anyway. She had accepted the mission, and was now   
playing her part expertly, knowing that this may well be the mission that would get her   
promoted to Black Rocket.  
  
Mogren smiled, a smile colder than the snow around the group. "You're the first   
agent to receive clearance to enter, Ms. Randwhyte. Lead the way." The mission was   
going perfectly. In an hour, he knew Miyamoto would be dead. Miyamoto, completely   
unaware of her impeding death, proceeded to lead the way down into the shaft.   
  
Not far away, sheltered in a well concealed bunker, Evans watched the group   
enter the shaft through a small window. He then turned his attention to four blips on the   
small tracking unit he had with him as they moved along a small map of the shaft. He   
had outfitted their packs with tracers, and was able to know when they would be far   
down enough to issue the recall signal to Mogren's silent pager. Then, when they were   
out and clear, it would all be over. Across the room from him, Black Rocket agent   
Raven Kaldron checked the weapon she had chosen for the job, a compact lightweight   
bazooka. Silently, efficiently, she reviewed the weapon, checked the alignment of the   
aiming scope, and checked the 4 small rockets she would soon load into the weapon and   
fire to cause the avalanche. She smiled to herself as she ran her fingers over the four   
cylinders, relishing their superb deadliness, and thinking of the mission she would soon   
carry out. What a story this would make to tell her little 5 year old niece Annie…. She   
glanced up at Evans, who sat in a chair, silently watching the blips on his tracer unit.  
  
In the darkness of the shaft, Miyamoto led her party by the light of her flashlight.   
It was a good working light, but it couldn't hope to properly illuminate the shaft, and   
Miyamoto began to wish she had never accepted the mission in the first place. Silently,   
she reminded herself of the payoff for the month, that beautiful thought of life with   
Musashi, and found the will to keep moving. However, all of her research, not to   
mention the cold wind and snow flurries of the Andes, had done nothing to truly prepare   
Miyamoto for the tunnels and caves she now found herself in. Outside her circle of   
light, pitch black darkness surrounded her. Although they had not gone down too deeply   
into the earth, the light of the sun and the dull howl of the cold wind outside had been   
replaced with a darkness and the sound of a slowly dripping underground stream. Save   
that, the only sound she could hear were the quiet steps of Mogren, Carroway, and   
Hansen behind her.   
  
Despite the sound of the three agents behind her, Miyamoto felt alone-as if she   
had been transported to some strange alien world with nobody else there- not even her   
darling Musashi. Miyamoto swallowed hard and fought back a small tear as the thought   
of such a world ran through her mind.  
  
Meanwhile, Henry sat in the outpost, still watching the progress of the group on   
his tracer. Of course, he didn't have an accurate map of the tunnels and caves, but he   
could tell from the tracers how deeply into the caves the party had gone, and he had   
every confidence that Carroway's tracking skills would enable him to lead Sean and   
Hansen when he issued the silent recall signal to their pagers. It was going to be all too   
easy to kill Miyamoto – she was far too trusting for a Black Rocket. It wouldn't be long   
before Henry would send the signal, and then… well, it would all be over, wouldn't it?   
  
Henry glanced over at Raven, who sat patiently in the corner, idly playing with   
the belt on her long black uniform coat, her weapon ready and armed. She stared ahead   
with almost soulless eyes, ready for the execution that lay ahead of her. Henry turned   
his attention back to the tracking unit and saw that the expedition party was now 50 feet   
below the ground level into the tunnels. Henry smiled darkly. It wouldn't be long now.  
  
Running her hand along the wall, Miyamoto stared ahead into the darkness. Just   
what the hell did Madam Boss expect her to report on, anyway? There was nothing   
down here at all except for cold and darkness. With each step, Miyamoto could feel her   
annoyance with the whole situation growing. The Lost City of Mew… smoke and   
legends, nothing more. What was running through Madam Boss' mind, anyway?   
Sheesh. That was when she felt something in the wall… an indentation. Intrigued, she   
turned her flashlight toward what her hand had felt. It was a carving of Mew embedded   
in the rock. If only for a second, Miyamoto's heart fluttered.  
  
In the outpost, Henry looked at the monitor. 100 feet below. It was time.   
"Agent Koldron." He said simply.  
  
Raven looked up. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"Move into position and stand by." Henry said. Raven nodded, picked up the   
bazooka, and walked out through the heavy bunker door. Once outside, she took her   
position on a cliff overlooking the entrance to the shaft and began to aim her weapon as   
she settled into a crouch. Inside the bunker, Henry watched Raven take her position   
through the small window slit. He reached for the remote transmitter and pressed the   
button, sending the silent signal to Sean, Carroway, and Hansen.   
  
"Sean! Steven! Lisa!" Miyamoto called a second after the three agents had felt   
their pagers vibrate on silent mode, telling them it was time to pull back out of the shaft.   
The three agents joined her, led by Mogren.  
  
"What is it, Randwhyte?" Mogren asked, searching for the chance to ditch   
Miyamoto.   
  
"Look! It's a carving of Mew!" Miyamoto replied excitedly. "Proof of a tribe,   
at least."  
  
Mogren looked at the carving, unimpressed. He was sure it was only proof of a   
tribe of Mew and nothing more, totally worthless to him… or was it? Of course! This   
was it! His window of opportunity had opened! Motioning for Carroway and Hansen to   
follow his lead, Mogren stepped forward with an excited look on his face.   
  
"It is! A stone carving… this could be one of the signs!" Mogren said, trying to   
sound genuinely interested. Behind him, Carroway and Hansen stepped forward,   
excited expressions on their faces.  
  
"This must be documented for Madam Boss. Miyamoto, why don't you explore   
further, and we'll stay here and record what we can of the carving." Mogren said, an   
evil glint in his eye barely hidden by the darkness.  
  
Miyamoto smiled at Mogren. Once again, she felt energized and excited about   
this mission… Maybe there was something special down here… something wonderful   
and magical. Miyamoto nodded at Mogren. "Right. I'll go on ahead. Just catch up   
when you're done." Mogren smiled back at Miyamoto and watched her head off deeper   
into the shaft excitedly as he turned back to face Carroway and Hansen.   
  
"Should we document this, Sean?" Carroway asked, wondering if Mogren had   
been serious at all.   
  
"Nah. Just evidence of a Mew tribe. They're a dime a dozen. There's evidence   
of them all over the world. The important thing is that this is our chance. Now, while   
that bimbo is down there, we get out. Lead the way, Steven." Sean replied curtly.  
  
With that, Carroway turned around and led the three quickly and quietly back up   
the tunnel. In the bunker, Henry smiled as he watched Miyamoto's blip continue to   
descend as the others headed back up to the surface. Henry picked up his radio and told   
Raven to get ready, to start her countdown when the group of three was safely out.   
  
In the tunnel, Steven, Sean, and Lisa ran quickly up the shaft, trying to put as   
much distance between themselves and Miyamoto as possible. Before long, they saw the   
light of the shaft opening up ahead. Steven climbed out first, then turned to help pull   
Lisa and Sean out. As soon as they were out, Lisa pulled a bright orange marker flag out   
of her pack and waved it in the air. Raven saw it, and responded by waving her own   
bright red flag. The signal had been given – the three were out. Now they had two   
minutes to get in the clear, and then Raven would fire her four rounds, nicely sealing   
Miyamoto in the cave with a wall of snow. There was no turning back now; the   
execution was on. Sean, Steven, and Lisa ran faster than they had run coming up the   
shaft, racing out of the clearing to the safety of the bunker where Evans stood waiting for   
them.  
  
Down in the shaft, Miyamoto's light showed her that she was coming up on a   
solid wall. A dead end, it seemed, and a major disappointment after finding the carving.   
Deciding to take a closer look, Miyamoto stepped closer to the wall and shone her   
flashlight on it. She was surprised to find another indentation here – though this one was   
no carving of Mew – just a simple rectangle. Discouraged, Miyamoto leaned back   
against the wall to rest for a minute before heading back to rejoin the others. That was   
when it happened. When she leaned back, she heard the sound of stone scraping against   
stone. The indentation wasn't a carving… it was a switch! Miyamoto straightened up   
and stepped back, turning around quickly. The large stone adjacent to the wall she had   
leaned on was sliding back, like a massive door. Miyamoto's mouth hung open as she   
stepped through the open doorway and shone her beam of light into the hidden chamber.   
Inside, a domed cavern ceiling stretched up a good 150 feet or more, into the base of the   
mountain, and many structures carved from the rock, some tall and some small, stood   
covered with carvings and ancient symbols. Miyamoto was filled with giddy disbelief as   
she shone her flashlight over the carved symbols and they glittered in the light with   
golden sparkles. She had found it…. She had found the legend…. She had found the   
Lost City of Mew. Scarcely able to believe her eyes at all, she turned around and ran out   
of the chamber and began to run back up the narrow winding shaft to where she had left   
the others about 5 minutes ago.  
  
At that moment, Raven's watch quietly beeped. The two minutes were up. The   
three agents would be in or near the bunker by now and it was safe to fire the rounds.   
Raven smiled as she took her aim at the snow banks above the shaft opening and fired.   
She loved this part of the job. Raven quickly reloaded and fired again, then again, then   
once again as she fired the final fourth rocket. The rockets found their target swiftly,   
hitting the snow and rock with muted explosions, and caused the snow and rocks to fall   
in front of and into the shaft.  
  
Miyamoto, halfway back to the point where she had left the others, felt the   
vibrations from the explosions and looked around frantically, thinking at first that the   
vibrations were an earthquake. However, she soon realized what was happening when   
she saw traces of snow falling down the tunnel. Snow this deep in the tunnel… it could   
only be caused by a lot of snow falling into the entrance of the tunnel.  
  
Miyamoto prayed that she was wrong in her guess as she ran back up the tunnel   
and came face to face with the wall of snow that had fallen down the shaft. It was then   
that Miyamoto fully realized that the vibrations had not been an earthquake, but   
deliberate explosions – explosions intended to seal her down here. Miyamoto grasped   
blindly for an answer, a way out, and then realized that there was none to be found.   
When she fully realized this, Miyamoto fell to the ground, her body wracked with   
violent sobs of anger, despair and sadness. Miyamoto held no delusions – she knew she   
was going to die. Alone, forsaken, betrayed… and the biggest torture of all, she was   
going to die without ever seeing her beautiful daughter ever again. The tears came like a   
river now, as Miyamoto curled into a fetal position and kept screaming between sobs,   
"Noooo…. My baby… I love you, Musashi… I love you…."  
  
Meanwhile, up by the ceiling of the tunnel high above Miyamoto, two big blue   
eyes surrounded by pink fur stared unblinkingly down from the darkness at the sobbing   
Black Rocket. Telepathically, the form in the darkness sensed her despair and the worst   
sadness of all that Miyamoto was feeling – that she had lost her daughter forever.   
Slowly, the floating figure emitted a low, mournful cry – "Meeeeewwww." A tear ran   
down the Mew's cheek – a tear of pity, sorrow, and compassion – for the Mew also   
knew what it was like to lose a child; She had herself when the Day of Ending had come   
for the city. Silently, the Mew cried golden, sparkling tears that fell to the ground and   
mixed with Miyamoto's tears as two mothers mourned their loss together, and the two –   
the rarest Pokemon of all time and the Team Rocket Agent – were as one, united in   
sorrow.  
  
Chapter Six: Fate  
  
That night, Evans wired a report back to Madam Boss. As her order had   
specified, the execution had been made to look like an accident by all accounts, even by   
the report back. Of course, this was standard Team Rocket procedure in such   
situations… It provided Team Rocket with a wonderful shield of plausible deniability in   
case of any investigations. Evans' report back to the Boss told her of the "tragic   
happening" which had "regrettably" buried Agent Randwhyte in the shaft permanently.   
Evans had gone on to claim that a rescue attempt had been made, but that it had been   
concluded that a rescue would have been quite impossible given the depth that Miyamoto   
had been buried at. Evans was pleased with himself. By all accounts, the execution   
really did look like an accident, and the only way to contradict this would be to find the   
actual spent rocket shells that Raven had fired, a task that would be nearly impossible   
given the thick layer of snow that now concealed them. Satisfied with the final   
wording/version of the events, Evans transmitted the report to Madam Boss in Viridian   
City.  
  
It was about 9:00 at night when the phone rang in Madam Boss' suite. She   
hurried to pick it up, as she had just laid Giovanni down for the night. Of course,   
Giovanni knew from the past that his mother hated to be disturbed after retiring from the   
office for the day, and had left standing orders many times strictly forbidding it unless   
there was a very important reason for the disturbance. Giovanni laid back and listened to   
his mother's end of the conversation, wondering if the call was the one he thought it was.  
  
"Yes?" A pause. "What about Agent Randwhyte?" Another pause. Giovanni   
held his breath. "Buried alive?" Now Madam Boss' voice held a sadness and regret that   
was rather uncharacteristic of her. "Very well. Thank you." Now, the cold efficiency of   
her typical manner was back. Giovanni heard the phone click back on it hook and heard   
his mother emit a deep sigh. Through half-closed eyes, he watched his mother walk   
back to his bedside and stand there over him. Giovanni became nervous. Did she   
somehow know that he was responsible for Miyamoto's death? Giovanni began to   
breathe a bit quicker, scared that his mother had somehow figured him out, detected his   
guilt somehow, when his mother suddenly leaned forward with a small tear in the corner   
of her eye, and kissed her son softly on the forehead. With that, Giovanni heard his   
mother walk across the suite to her dresser, sweep up her office keys as he had done that   
night, and turn to leave. When the door had closed, Giovanni smiled an evil smile as   
his eyes narrowed in the dark. He had pulled it off…. He had ordered an execution and   
covered it up… Truly, his mother was a part of him. Some day, some sweet day, he   
would take over where his mother would leave off, and would lead Team Rocket to   
greatness and power, the greatness and power it deserved. Giovanni drifted off to sleep   
dreaming of leading an army of Pokemon thieves, his crack agents perfectly carrying out   
their orders with absolute precision.   
  
Meanwhile, Madam Boss was two floors below her suite, knocking on the door   
of Agent 157 – Black Rocket Bridget Sutton. "Just a minute." Came Bridget's voice   
from behind the closed door. The door opened to reveal Bridget wearing a light blue   
bathrobe with matching slippers on her feet. Bridget was surprised to see Madam Boss at   
this late hour, and her face showed her surprise. Bridget snapped to attention as Madam   
Boss walked into her quarters. "Good evening, Madam." Bridget said nervously.  
  
"At ease, Agent Sutton." Madam Boss said. Bridget relaxed slightly, but still   
stood rigidly in place, waiting for Madam Boss to speak. Something was wrong, even if   
Bridget couldn't tell what it was.   
  
"Bridget, you're taking care of Musashi while Miyamoto is away in the Andes,   
aren't you?" She asked in a heavy tone of voice.  
  
"Yes, Madam." Bridget replied, wondering what was going on.  
  
Madam Boss' face clouded. "Miyamoto won't be returning, Agent Sutton.   
There was…. an accident."  
  
Bridget's eyes began to water slightly. Miyamoto had been a good friend, and   
more importantly, was little Musashi's whole world… and now she wasn't coming back?   
"An accident?" Bridget repeated.  
  
"An avalanche. It buried her in the shaft she was exploring."  
  
Bridget covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no…" Bridget's voice shook as   
she asked, "What about Musashi?"  
  
Madam Boss lowered her head. "I don't know." She said simply.  
  
Bridget's eyes opened wide. "The letter." She said simply.   
  
"What?" Madam Boss asked, confused.   
  
Bridget ran to her desk and began to shuffle though the items she had tossed   
there; make up, old orders, papers, gloves, correspondence… "When Miyamoto left,   
she gave me a letter and just said that I would know if I had to open it." She explained,   
tossing a paper fan over her shoulder as she searched. Finally, she found the still- sealed   
envelope, hidden under her scrap book that she had been looking at with Musashi a few   
hours earlier. Bridget picked up the envelope and slowly tore it open. From inside, she   
pulled out a sheet of paper and read the letter out loud:  
  
Dear Bridget,  
  
If you are reading this letter, then surely you knew the time was right to open it.   
I can assume that I am either missing or dead somehow, and that I won't be returning to   
Viridian City. The thought that this could happen, and the thought that my beautiful   
Musashi may have to grow up without me, is almost too much for me to face, but I have   
an overwhelming feeling that it must be dealt with.   
As you know, upon my return Musashi and I were to leave together for Fuchsia   
City , where a legit job arranged by Madam Boss and my sister await us for a new life   
together.   
Now, it seems, that life is not to be. Accordingly, Bridget, I must ask you to   
take Musashi in my place. Go to my sister, tell her of what has happened, and give   
Musashi to her to raise as her own. Musashi needs a mother, even if she is poor, and I   
know that my sister will be able to raise and love her as I would.   
These are my last wishes. Please carry them out. Thank you, Bridget. You have   
always been a good friend, a confidante, a comrade in arms, and I will never forget you.  
  
Love,  
  
Miya  
  
Bridget lowered the letter slowly, "No wonder she said I'd know when to open   
it." She said softly.  
  
Madam Boss looked at Bridget. "Where is Musashi now?" she asked.  
  
"Asleep in her bassinet." Bridget replied.  
  
Madam Boss' heart, usually impenetrable, was being broken by all that was   
happening. "Very well." She said. "Let her sleep and dream. Tomorrow, you and an   
agent will take her to live with Miyamoto's sister." Madam Boss lowered her head sadly   
and sighed. "I can't believe it's come to this." She said.  
  
"I know." Bridget replied. "I know."  
  
Trying her best to regain her normal stony composure, Madam Boss cleared her   
throat. "Anyway, do that tomorrow, Sutton. After all, we can't have the little rugrat   
getting in our way, now can we?"  
  
Bridget nodded, knowing that her Boss' tough front wasn't real at all. "Of   
course, Madam. I'll take care of it tomorrow."  
  
"Good." Madam Boss replied. Agent Tom Carter will accompany you."  
  
Carter was a Black Rocket who had not known Bridget or Miyamoto very well,   
even though he had been present at Musashi's birth. Madam Boss knew that he was an   
agent who would not become choked with emotion during the drop off, as Bridget   
probably would. Bridget agreed with this choice, and Madam Boss left to return to her   
suite. Not a single agent saw the tears streaming down her face as she hurried back.  
  
In her quarters, Bridget walked to the side of Musashi's bassinet, Where   
Miyamoto's baby slept peacefully wrapped up in Miyamoto's own oversized pink   
blanket with a serene smile on her face. That was when the tears came for Bridget. "I'm   
so sorry, little one… Your mother and I love you very much… as will your new   
mother." Bridget fell asleep right there in the floor by the base of the bassinet, weeping   
softly into the carpeting.  
  
The next morning, Bridget and Carter checked out a vehicle, a brand new hot air   
balloon with a balloon shaped like a giant Meowth's head, and drifted over the cities and   
trees on their way to Fuchsia City to bring Musashi to Miyamoto's sister.  
In Fuchsia City, it was a tearful time for every one but Carter. Miyamoto's sister   
was overjoyed to have a child at last, and at the same time saddened by the loss, both to   
her and to Jessie (she had opted to use the alternate name Miyamoto had chosen for   
Musashi – it simply came more naturally for her), of Miyamoto.  
  
Carter and Bridget visited for about 4 ½ hours before it was time to leave.   
Bridget left Jessie with a kiss and a pledge of love for as long as she lived. The two   
agents then returned to Viridian City in the balloon, back to the life with Team Rocket,   
the life they had known before that ray of sunshine known as Musashi.  
  
Epilogue  
  
As they say, the rest is history. Baby Musashi grew up as Jessica Randwhyte   
with a mother who, though she was poor, would do anything to keep the little girl safe   
and happy, even if it meant doing something as strange as making whole meals out of   
snow and soy sauce.   
  
Miyamoto was never heard from again, and the Lost City of Mew stayed lost.  
  
Bridget Sutton was killed while on a mission three years later.  
  
Madam Boss fell ill six years later, and the then16 year old Giovanni began to   
take over Team Rocket. By the time he was 18, he had taken over completely.   
  
Henry Evans was promoted by Giovanni when he took over and was returned to   
Viridian City as Team Rocket's chief scientist/researcher.  
  
Sean Mogren took over as the Andes base commander when Evans was   
promoted.  
  
When Jessie turned 14, she left her impoverished life behind and went to   
Pokemon Tech in the hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. It   
was there that she met the boy who would become her constant companion, best friend,   
and fellow agent, James Morgan.  
  
After being expelled, fate took Jessie and James to a few pit stops, and eventually   
led Jessie back into Team Rocket. This time, there were new friends, new enemies,   
new rivals, and a new Boss... but there was still a vague yet undying sense of security   
and belonging… as if Jessie had always, and forever would, belong there.  
  
However, to this day, every time White Rocket Jessie Randwhyte falls asleep in   
her quarters in Viridian City, that little baby re-emerges as she wraps up in that pink   
blanket that she's had for as long for as she can remember, her mother's own blanket,   
and falls asleep, dreaming of that all too familiar Black Rocket with purple hair in twin   
pony tails that end in a curl, much like her own long red hair. Jessie has only the vaguest   
of memories of her, but she knows exactly who she is… and that the Black Rocket is   
always with her, forever keeping that loving, motherly eye on her daughter, her child,   
her Jessie, her... Musashi.  
  
The End  



End file.
